All 20 Episodes Of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone Reboot, Ranked

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After pivoting from sketch comedy horror with the award-winning movie “Get Out,” filmmaker Jordan Peele was announced as helming a “Twilight Zone” revival series. Serving as its co-developer, executive producer, and host, Peele breathed new life into Rod Serling’s iconic anthology series. However, despite the prestigious creative talent behind the revival, both behind-the-scenes and on camera, “The Twilight Zone” was cancelled after two seasons. This leaves the show’s run to a scant 20 episodes, though each offer their own thought-provoking tales that the franchise is known for.

We’ve gathered all episodes from the 2019 revival series and ranked them from worst to best. From fresh takes on familiar premises to stories that rethink what’s possible from a “Twilight Zone” episode, the revival definitely featured a wide range of vignettes. Here are all 20 episodes of Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” reboot ranked, covering the full breadth of its imaginative revival.

The 2019 “Twilight Zone” revival came to a disappointing end with the Season 2 finale “You Might Also Like.” Directly inspired by the classic original series episode “To Serve Man,” the episode opens with the world enthralled by a life-changing product, known as the Egg. This includes suburban housewife Janet Warren (Gretchen Mol), though she discovers she and her neighbors appear to be missing segments of their lives linked to the product. The Egg is revealed to be key in the extraterrestrials’ Kanamits’ latest plot.

“To Serve Man” is one of the best episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” skewering the advent of self-help guides and regimens. “You Might Also Like” more saliently targets modern consumerism and buzzy product launches but botches the handling of it. The characters’ memory lapses derail the episode’s thematic messaging while it also demystifies the Kanamits. Directed and written by Osgood Perkins, “You Might Also Like” unfortunately doesn’t have the same energy as his horror movies.

A cosmic event brings out the worst male tendencies in Season 1’s “Not All Men.” The story follows Annie Miller (Taissa Farmiga), who reluctantly accepts a date with a colleague (Luke Kirby) to watch a meteor shower. As these otherworldly fragments fall around the community, they begin to bring out violent behavior in nearby men. Working with her older sister Martha (Rhea Seehorn), Annie tries to escape as her town is viciously upended.

While dismantling toxic masculinity is always a worthwhile endeavor, “Not All Men” handles it so clumsily that it stumbles over its own themes. This is solidified by the story’s big twist, that the meteorites only have a placebo effect on men to act out their worst instincts. The episode’s big saving grace is the always stellar Rhea Seehorn, who turns in another great performance here. An episode as heavy-handed as it is nonsensical in its execution, “Not All Men” is the weakest in Season 1.

Politics and influencer culture provide the thematic subject matter for Season 1’s “The Wunderkind.” John Cho plays campaign manager Raff Hanks, who becomes desperate after he fails to get the President reelected. Seeing adolescent YouTuber Oliver Foley (Jacob Tremblay) go viral for his proposed presidential platform, Hanks ties his own redemption into getting Foley elected. However, though Hanks’ campaign proves successful, he realizes its horrific implications.

On the one hand, “The Wunderkind” is a clear subversion of the narrative archetypes that its title suggests. But the overall concept is just too whimsical to have its themes be taken seriously at all. Cho and Tremblay both do decent work, but they’re handed flimsy material that never connects with audiences the way that it intends. A takedown of influencer culture and larger-than-life personalities who have no right to be in politics, “The Wunderkind” is a tonal mishmash.

Immigration is the subject at the heart of the first season episode “Point of Origin” and it’s handled as gracefully as one might imagine. Ginnifer Goodwin stars as affluent homemaker Eve Martin, whose Guatemalan housekeeper Anna Fuentes (Zabryna Guevara) is detained by ICE. This precipitates Eve being detained herself after she’s revealed to be an undocumented alien from another dimension. Working with Anna, Eve looks for a way to escape from custody and return to her home.

“Point of Origin” is another “Twilight Zone” revival episode that’s messaging is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Ginnifer Goodwin noted the “Twilight Zone” immigration episode made her feel icky and we’re inclined to agree, albeit not for the same reasons. The xenophobic themes and messaging that we’re all immigrants feels force-fed and obvious to the audience, even as cogent as the commentary is. While the inhumanity of systemic xenophobia deserves being skewered, it also needs to be done so in a more sharply written way, which “Point of Origin” doesn’t do at all.

The price of fame is explored in Season 2’s “Ovation,” starring Jurnee Smollett as street musician Jasmine Delancey. After witnessing the suicide of troubled pop star Fiji (Sky Ferreira), Jasmine receives the late superstar’s strange medallion. As Jasmine begins to experience professional success, she begins attributing her newfound popularity to the medallion. This takes a tragic turn when Jasmine gives the token to her sister Zara (Tawny Newsome) when she finds the pressures of fame to be overwhelming.

The thing about “Ovation” is it feels like the story is just spinning its wheels. The story telegraphs its overarching premise and themes right from the beginning and there isn’t much about the narrative that keeps the audience along for the ride. Smollett and Newsome do serviceable jobs as the sisters at the heart of the story, but its final twist feels forced and unearned. A sign that “The Twilight Zone” revival may have been on its way out, “Ovation” couldn’t bring its curtain call sooner.

“The Twilight Zone” takes a turn for the Lovecraftian with its second season episode “8.” The story follows a small team of scientists on an expedition to the Antarctic to catalog new life. This routine survey is derailed by a highly intelligent creature that appears to be stalking the group. As the body count grows, the ensemble becomes divided if they should kill the monster as its grand plan comes into focus.

“8” takes the frozen remotely situated horror of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and tries to put its own high-concept twist on it. The problem is that “The Twilight Zone” was never quite suited for that sort of thing. The cast does their ample best to make this sci-fi horror story work, but can’t stick the landing. “The Twilight Zone” is one of the best horror anthology shows of all time, but on its own terms and not with the odd direction of “8.”

Chris Meloni and Jenna Elfman have a close encounter that hits them where they live in “A Human Face.” The second season episode features grieving couple Robert (Meloni) and Barbara (Elfman) mourning the recent loss of their daughter. After a cosmic flare, the pair discover an extraterrestrial entity in their basement that takes on the physical form of their daughter Maggie (Tavi Gevinson). While Robert remains wary of the entity’s true intentions, Barbara is willing to accept them as a surrogate for her child.

“A Human Face” is a bit more sentimental than most of the stories in the 2019 revival series. That helps set it apart even as its messaging on grief and emotional complexity plays familiar notes. A big part of that help comes from Meloni and Elfman’s performances, with their characters approaching the otherworldly premise from opposite ends. A fairly nondescript Season 2 episode, “A Human Face” works best when it focuses on its human leads.

The only episode in the 2019 revival series with Jordan Peele as the sole credited writer, “Downtime” takes a swing at simulated reality stories. The story focuses on newly promoted hotel manager Michelle Weaver (Morena Baccarin) whose life is upended by the appearance of a strange orb. Adding to the uneasiness of the discovery is the increasingly disturbing behavior exhibited by others around Michelle to the orb. As Michelle investigates further, she discovers her reality, and her own identity, weren’t what she anticipated.

What Peele does smartly with his “Twilight Zone” episode is present the presumed big twist relatively early into the story. This means much of the runtime is spent exploring the implications of the shocking reveal, not just for its protagonist but wider ensemble. This narrative direction makes the episode lack the foreboding flash of its counterparts, instead going for more reflective moments. A thought-provoking “Twilight Zone” tale, “Downtime” shows the revival could’ve used more of Peele’s direct involvement.

The concept of a temporal loop fits perfectly within the usual creative wheelhouse of “The Twilight Zone.” The revival series’ penultimate episode “Try, Try” puts its own spin on this trope, centering its story on protagonists Claudia (Kylie Bunbury) and Marc (Topher Grace). Initially finding Marc charming, Claudia learns this new man in her life is apparently stuck in a time loop. To make matters worse, as Claudia gets to know Marc better, she realizes how dangerous he is.

So much of what makes “Try, Try” work is the on-screen rapport between Bunbury and Grace, especially as the true stakes are unveiled. As with his memorable performance in 2010’s “Predators,” Grace excels at playing a seemingly nice guy with secret sinister intentions. Only the episode’s final suggestion that Claudia is in a time loop of her own feels a bit awkwardly presented. Way better than the actual series finale, “Try, Try” offers a more engaging tale by comparison.

It’s always interesting when “The Twilight Zone” does a Christmas episode, including “A Traveler.” The story is set in a remote town in Alaska, which has an informal tradition of pardoning someone every Christmas. When a sharply dressed stranger, simply known as A Traveler (Steven Yeun) mysteriously appears in a jail cell, he asks to be the latest pardon. As police officer Yuka Mongoyak (Marika Sila) gets to know more about Traveler, she realizes he’s not what he appears to be.

Most of the yuletide atmosphere and small-town setting really enhances “A Traveler,” giving it a dream-like quality. Yeun really conveys an easygoing innocence to his character, with a touch of mystery and holiday cheer, at least initially. Where the episode struggles is its more malicious moments towards the end as A Traveler’s true nature is unveiled. A moody little holiday episode as only “The Twilight Zone” can tell it, “A Traveler” is a small-town mystery of otherworldly proportions.

The very first episode of “The Twilight Zone” revival in 2019 was “The Comedian,” starring Kumail Nanjiani as protagonist Samir Wassan. A struggling standup comedian, Wassan decides to incorporate elements of his personal life into his material. Though this makes his act more successful, Wassan discovers anyone he mentions in his standup bits suddenly vanishes afterwards. Realizing what he’s capable of, Wassan grows unhinged with power as he erases anyone he wants.

All the strengths and shortcomings to the 2019 “Twilight Zone” revival are apparent in “The Comedian.” The episode brings a cinematic quality to the classic anthology property but struggles to fill its extended runtime compared to the 20-some minutes of the original series. The episode brings interesting questions and stories to the table, but spends so much of its time trying to fill the space. That said, “The Comedian” offers a clear primer of what to expect from the 2019 series with a confident premiere.

The most ambitious episode of the revival’s first season is its sixth episode, “Six Degrees of Freedom.” The story features a spaceflight to Mars after a nuclear war breaks out back on Earth led by Commander Alexa Brandt (DeWanda Wise). As the crew continues on its long journey and the crushing belief that human life as they knew it on Earth was wiped out, tensions quickly rise. This paranoia and resentment comes as the crew begins to suspect that they’re being observed.

For all of its spacefaring spectacle, “Six Degrees of Freedom” tells a relatively claustrophobic tale with a limited cast. Seeing how each of these characters chafe against each other and deal with mounting existential dread effectively drives the story forward. Even the episode’s big twist feels very much at home in classic “Twilight Zone” territory. One of the stronger episodes in the revival, “Six Degrees of Freedom,” takes advantage of the 2019 show’s cinematic-level production.

One of the best “Twilight Zone” episodes of all time is “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” starring William Shatner as a nervous airline passenger. The story was retold in the 1983 movie and received a more radical revamp for the 2019 revival, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet.” The episode centers on traumatized airline passenger Jordan Sanderson (Adam Scott) who discovers an MP3 player informing him of his flight’s impending disappearance. Sanderson then tries to prevent this destiny from coming to pass.

More than just upping the titular altitude, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” actively subverts expectations compared to earlier iterations of its narrative. But to be clear, despite the similar titles, the revival quickly makes it clear that this is its own original story, using prior setups as more of a thematic inspiration. Scott makes the most of his version of a nervous passenger who grows increasingly paranoid. An aerial “Twilight Zone” episode for the “Lost” generation, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” knows how to play with expectations.

Another standout episode from the latter portion of Season 2, “A Small Town” focuses on a small model town found in a church attic. Recently widowed handyman Jason Grant (Damon Wayans Jr.) discovers the model and realizes that anything he does to it affects his town. Jason initially uses this magical connection to improve the community, but begins using it more self-centeredly. This eventually leads to the locals becoming suspicious over what’s going on and Jason’s connection to these events.

“A Small Town” is arguably the 2019 revival at its most whimsical, with its whole premise working largely thanks to Wayans’ performance. Even as Jason’s feud with the egotistical Mayor John Conley (David Krumholtz) intensifies, there is still a good-natured relatability to him. The story has a real small-town feel to it that evolves as it progresses, buoyed by Natalie Martinez’s character, Ana. A stronger reminder that the “Twilight Zone” revival could have more fun with its own possibilities, “A Small Town” is a charmingly sentimental tale.

The penultimate episode of Season 1, “The Blue Scorpion,” builds its narrative around the Chekhov’s Gun storytelling trope. That is to say, if a story introduces a gun, there is a certain inevitability that it will be fired before the ending. The episode opens with troubled man Jeff Storck (Chris O’Dowd) inheriting the gun that claimed his father, finding a magic bullet with his first name on it. Realizing the gun is destined to kill someone with the name, Jeff contemplates who it will be.

Given the “Twilight Zone” revival’s penchant for social commentary without subtlety, “The Blue Scorpion” weaves a gun story without overly heavy-handed messaging. Those in possession of the titular pistol are haunted by it, but in a way that fits within its supernatural premise. A lot of that comes down to O’Dowd’s performance, really playing up his character’s growing instability as the story progresses. A clear example that the new “Twilight Zone” could tackle contemporary topics in a more organic way, “The Blue Scorpion” is a solid story for a debut season.

The Season 2 episode “Among the Untrodden” plays out like an inverted variation of Stephen King’s “Carrie.” The story begins with a new student, Irene (Sophie Macy), starting at a private all-girls boarding school. Though popular mean girl Madison (Abbie Hern) plans to bully her, Irene informs her would-be nemesis that she has powerful psychic abilities. As Madison begins to hone her powers, she forms a genuine friendship with Irene, only to learn the truth about her new classmate.

“Among the Untrodden” takes the familiar mean girls setup with its narrative but keeps viewers guessing every step of the way. Just when audiences think they know which the story is going, the episode offers a fresh twist right through to its surprise ending. This comes from Hern’s steady evolution of her character, starting out as a stereotypical teenage bully before growing into someone much more vulnerable and nuanced. An underrated episode from the show’s more mixed bag of a second season, “Among the Untrodden” is well worth checking out.

“The Twilight Zone” revival frequently played with expectations of viewers familiar with the classic series, taking it to the next level with “Blurryman.” The Season 1 finale follows screenwriter Sophie Gelson (Zazie Beetz) who, in a fourth wall-breaking premise, is screenwriter on “The Twilight Zone.” As Sophie struggles writing a monologue for Jordan Peele, she finds a blurry figure stalking her. This leads Sophie to find out what exactly is going on as she discovers the strange entity’s identity.

While “Blurryman” might seem self-indulgent at first glance, it’s also the most overtly fun episode of the entire 2019 series. After the more dour episodes of the show, this story feels like a breath of fresh air. At the same time, it’s clear that this is a “Twilight Zone” episode written by fans of the classic show, offering a tribute to their inspiration. Arguably the most rewatchable “Twilight Zone” episode from the revival because of its metatextual premise, “Blurryman” solidly closes the season.

As far as gravely serious episodes in the 2019 series, no episode outdoes the first season story “Replay.” Another tale about temporal loops, the episode centers on single mother Nina Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) who is driving her son Dorian (Damson Idris) to college. After a tragic roadside incident with a racist cop claims Dorian’s life, Nina learns her old camcorder can reverse time. Using this magical device, Nina tries to save her son as she relives the harrowing incident.

Of all the 2019 “Twilight Zone” episodes with clear social commentary, and there are a lot of them, “Replay” is far and away the best. This comes down to sharp writing, staging its heartbreakingly tragic premise, and, of course, masterclass performances from Lathan and Idris. With each loop, the frustration and mounting injustice is palpably felt with the audience feeling just a fraction of what its ill-fated characters experience. The episode that most cogently presents its themes and calls its viewers to bear witness, “Replay” is the most important story in the revival.

The second season of “The Twilight Zone” started out much stronger than it finished, with a prime example being “The Who of You.” The story centers on struggling actor Harry Pine (Ethan Embry) who decides to support himself by robbing a bank. In the midst of a heist, Pine abruptly gets the ability to switch bodies when he makes eye contact with someone. Pine uses this newfound power to aid with his burgeoning criminal career though a detective realizes they’re up against a body-changer.

While many episodes of the revival struggle to fill 50-some minutes of runtime, “The Who of You” uses its real estate well. This comes from a genuinely interesting story that keeps twisting as its body-swapping stakes escalate. A big part of the episode’s charm is seeing how different actors react to having Embry’s character possessing them, with Billy Porter as a major standout. A clever heist-heavy episode with a subtle meditation on the nature of being an actor, “The Who of You” is a fun-filled caper.

“The Twilight Zone” Season 2 premiere kicked things off with a bang with the episode “Meet in the Middle.” The episode follows lonely single man Phil Hayes (Jimmi Simpson) form a telepathic connection with a woman named Annie Mitchell (Gillian Jacobs). Through this unique connection, Phil and Annie grow close, forming an unorthodox long-distance relationship. However, when they decide to meet each other in-person, a violent twist occurs.

“Meet in the Middle” starts as a seemingly sentimental story that shifts to a horrific one as its full scope is unveiled. That gripping evolution is largely informed by an absolutely stellar performance from Jimmi Simpson, going from vulnerable to determined to victim in less than an hour. Without giving away what it is, it also comes from one of the cruelest plot twists in any incarnation of “The Twilight Zone.” The perfect realization of what a “Twilight Zone” series can be in the streaming era, “Meet in the Middle” is the revival at its best.